Joly’s staying, but Côté’s not

Marian Scott, THE GAZETTE11.05.2013

Mélanie Joly, centre, with her elected city councillors: Normand Marinacci, left, new borough mayor for Ile-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève; Steven Shanahan, rear, new city councillor for the Ville-Marie district of Peter-McGill; and Justine Mcintyre, right, new city councillor for Pierrefonds-Roxboro, speaking to the media the day after the municipal election.Dario Ayala
/ THE GAZETTE

Mélanie Joly said she was proud to have come in second after campaigning on a shoestring budget with just three paid staff members and 300 volunteers.Dario Ayala
/ The Gazette

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The 34-year-old communications consultant who came out of nowhere to finish second in Montreal's mayoralty race said Monday she is in municipal politics to stay.

"When I launched my campaign, my goal was to bring a new generation into politics," Joly said at a press conference in the lobby of the industrial building where her fledgling party had its modest office.

"For me, it's mission accomplished."

Joly said she was proud to come in second after campaigning on a shoestring budget with just three paid staff members and 300 volunteers.

She got 26.46 per cent of votes for mayor — edging ahead of Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron, who had 25.56 per cent. Her Vrai Changement pour Montréal party elected four city councillors in four different boroughs.

"With 26 per cent of the vote, I have legitimacy to really position (myself) and take part in important issues," said Joly, adding that first up will be a well-deserved holiday with her husband.

Joly said she plans to run for a seat on Montreal city council as soon as possible — but declined to discuss when that might happen.

Joly was co-listed on the ballot for city councillor in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce with Marie-Claude Johnson, who would have given up her seat to Joly, but Johnson lost to Projet Montréal incumbent Peter McQueen.

There is no way of knowing when a council seat will next open up.

But Antonia Maioni, a political-science professor at McGill University, said Joly's surprising performance in the mayoral race suggests she has a bright future in politics.

"She's proven to be a winner — winning in defeat," Maioni said.

"All kinds of avenues are open to her."

Joly, an Oxford-trained lawyer who was organizer of Justin Trudeau's campaign for the Liberal leadership, would be an asset on the federal scene, should she choose that arena, Maioni said.

But Joly, who headed the Montreal office of communications agency Cohn & Wolfe before jumping into politics, said her sights are firmly fixed on city hall for now.

"I will work with all the elected candidates, all the councillors in the opposition at city hall to make sure that we coordinate our efforts to have a strong opposition," she said.

Asked whether mayor-elect Denis Coderre should include a member of her party in the city executive committee, she said she didn't think such a move would be appropriate.

"It's important for us to build a strong opposition," Joly said.

She vowed to cooperate with the Projet Montréal opposition to guard vigilantly against corruption and collusion in the city administration.

Marcel Côté , who finished fourth in the mayoral contest with 12.77 per cent of the vote, said that despite his disappointment, Coalition Montréal's dismal performance did not keep him awake Sunday night.

"I just turned the page," said Côté, 71, an economist and founder of the management consulting firm SECOR. He said he plans to resume his many volunteer and philanthropic activities once he winds up his responsibilities at the Coalition. He estimated wrapping up those duties, which include paying off the Coalition's campaign debt, will take about three months.

"I don't see myself at the helm of the Coalition party," Côté said when asked about his future plans.

"I'll stay involved in civic affairs. I'll stay involved in community affairs and charitable work, but I don't see myself as an opposition leader."

Côté said it was too early to discuss the future of Coalition Montréal. "We have to first talk to the elected members and take the pulse of city hall," he said.

He attributed his loss partly to a political process where personality takes precedence over content.

"The main problem was that Mr. Coderre delivered a more attractive package," Côté said. "He talked about himself as mayor, and that's what people wanted to hear.

"And our message about the health of Montreal and what has to be done to address it didn't appeal to a lot of voters."

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